James Paul Gee describes his definition of literacy as a piece of folk wisdom that part of what linguistic do is define words. He also used the word discourse throughout this article. This word means a socially accepted association among ways of using language, of thinking, and of acting that can be used to identify oneself as a member of a socially meaningful group or a social network. He thinks of discourse as an identity kit. To acquire literacy one need to know that he/she will need to gain this knowledge in order to function, not because he/she is being forced.

My definition of literacy before reading this article was just the written word and the meaning behind it. I also believed that it was something we learned in school. James Paul Gee states that literacy is much more than that, it is being able to use a language in a socially acceptable manner. After reading this article I realize that I did not learn to read from school, I acquired the skill more and more each day from my surroundings and listening to my parents talk and obtaining it like a sponge. Literacy isn't something that can be taught it something that you just learn from watching people. School gives you the fundamentals to be able to understand literacy.